IT pricing and the 'Australia Tax'

SUMMARY

A recent parliamentary committee report on IT pricing found that Australians generally pay more for IT products such as software, games, music, movies and e-books than customers in many overseas markets. However, a lack of engagement by the industry appears to have limited the rigour of the committee's analysis and its understanding of the issues underlying pricing differentials. Some of the recommendations in the report appear likely to have a range of unintended effects, both within and beyond the IT industry, and will need thorough evaluation.

INQUIRY AND KEY FINDINGS

On 29 July 2013, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications (Committee) released a widely-anticipated report on the pricing of IT products in Australia entitled "At what cost? IT pricing and the Australia tax".